Saggy Breasts, Back Pain: Is Your Bra to Blame?

Not since the bra-burning era of the 1960s has the idea of ditching the ubiquitous undergarment generated such heated debate, but this time, it's not for feminist reasons.

One male researcher, Jean-Denis Rouillon, a sports medicine specialist from the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Besancon, France, claims women would be "less saggy" if they got rid of bras altogether. He also insists that wearing a bra does not, contrary to popular belief, relieve back pain.

Initial findings in the French study suggest women's breasts may actually get saggier when they wear bras, claiming that bras limit the growth of supporting breast tissues that keep them perky.

Over the course of 15 years, the research team followed 330 women, using a slide rule and caliper to measure the changes happening to their breasts. They found that those who took off their bras for good experienced firmer, perkier breasts each year that they didn't wear a bra.